Chapter 13 Yaoer 13 The Lady from the Wang Family
Wang's Cloth Shop is located in the market west of Chaozhou City. The shop's facade is old, but the interior is clean and tidy. A variety of fabrics are displayed in an array, dazzling and dazzling.
There were several women in the store choosing fabrics. Standing nearby was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, wearing emerald green clothes, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a few spots on her cheeks. She was introducing the store's products to the customers.
This person is Wang Fuwan.
Her smile was warm. While helping a customer choose fabrics, she caught a glimpse of a new customer entering the store. She smiled and said, "Please feel free to look around. If you need anything, just call me."
The customers who walked into the store were Xun Shu and He Xuan.
Xun Shu's eyes perfunctorily scanned the various cloths, his attention fixed on Wang Fuwan, who stood beside him. He observed her with a calm and composed expression, as if completely unaware of what had happened in the past few days. He Xuan, however, looked like someone who had come to buy cloth. He would touch the fabrics from time to time, carefully examining and comparing the patterns and embroidery, meticulously selecting each piece.
After the customers left the store, Wang Fuwan walked over to Xun Shu and He Xuan and said without a smile, "Sir, are you looking for a suitable piece of cloth to make a new dress for me?"
Xun Shu was about to say something when He Xuan interrupted her: "She was the one who wanted to make me a dress to celebrate my birthday, but now that we're in this shop, she doesn't know what to choose."
"My dear, you are so lucky." Wang Fuwan glanced at He Xuan, not hiding her admiration. "My dear, you are tall and graceful, and everything you wear suits you well." She turned and glanced at the goods in the store, walked to the corner and brought out a piece of royal blue silk with a dark cloud pattern. "I've kept this cloth for a while, but I never found the right person. Now I finally have it."
The silk felt smooth to the touch, with exquisite patterns and vibrant colors. If it were made into clothes, it would look stunning on He Xuan. Xun Shu stared at the cloth for a moment, then placed his hand on his shoulder bag, feeling the copper coins he had earned from Madam Zhao a few days ago through the rough material of the bag. He tentatively asked, "How much is this cloth?"
"This piece of cloth has been sitting around for a while, and the pattern is no longer the latest. I'll give you a discount, five hundred coins."
Five hundred coins...where would she get so much money?
He Xuan had just said it casually, but he never expected Xun Shu to be so serious, as if he was actually going to buy the cloth for him. He glanced at the cloth and praised it against his will, "What a beautiful silk! But since such beautiful silk can't be sold, why don't you just make it into clothes and give it to your brothers or someone you like?"
Wang Fuwan's face showed a hint of shyness: "I only have one brother, he is still young, so this color is not suitable for him. As for the man I love—" Her earlobes were bright red, and her voice was no longer as cheerful as before, "He prefers black."
He Xuan raised his eyebrows, his expression frank: "Oh? I wonder which gentleman has such good fortune?"
Wang Fuwan lowered her eyelashes and paused for a moment, determined not to hide her affection any longer. "He's the eldest son of County Magistrate Zhao. We've known each other since childhood, and we're both drawn to each other. He loves the color black, and I think he looks best in it, too."
Xun Shu and He Xuan looked at each other, but before they could say anything, they heard a shout coming from the back door.
"You're still in contact with him!"
A man in his thirties or forties rushed into the shop, eyebrows raised, pointing at Wang Fuwan and angrily shouting, "Didn't I tell you long ago that you two aren't suitable? The Zhao family is too high for us to marry into. Why are you still entangled with the Zhao family's eldest young master? Why don't you take my words to heart?! Will Dad harm you again?"
The person who came was Sumei's husband, Wang Heshun, the owner of the cloth shop.
The smile on Wang Fuwan's face gradually faded. The words she spoke were like the cold wind of December, blowing through people's hearts and causing them great pain. "You are my father, why can't you stand by me? What's wrong with me marrying Zhao Lang? There may be a better talent than him in the whole Chaozhou City. Since there is no such person, Zhao Lang and I are now in love. He is willing to marry me and I am willing to marry him. You and mother should be happy. Why don't you agree? Or do you think that since mother was once a maid for Madam Zhao, the child of a maid shouldn't marry the master's son? Should I live like mother?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Heshun was so angry that his beard was shaking. He quickly walked up to Wang Fuwan and slapped her hard.
"Asshole!"
The slap landed, and the room fell silent. Wang Fuwan's cheek quickly became red and swollen. She covered her face, her eyes watering, and a fierceness spread from the depths of her eyes. "Am I wrong? I used to think that Zhao Lang and I couldn't be together because Madam Zhao was against it. But now that Madam Zhao is gone, why do you still think so? Am I really not worthy of Zhao Lang?"
Shopkeeper Wang slumped on a stool beside him, his energy and spirit instantly draining away. "You're my daughter, so I naturally think you're worthy of the best husband in the world. But Wan'er, you and the eldest young master of the Zhao family are truly not suitable!"
"Then tell me why it's inappropriate!"
"You kid!"
The father and daughter were arguing so intensely that they completely forgot about Xun Shu and He Xuan. Xun Shu was listening intently, while He Xuan seemed to be watching a play, wishing he could find a plate of preserved fruit to eat.
Xun Shu blinked, looked here and there, and when the two of them were tired of arguing and no longer had the intention to speak, he asked directly, "Miss Wang, why did you go to Zhao's house the evening before yesterday?"
Wang Fuwan panicked and subconsciously retorted, "What are you talking about? Why would I go to Zhao's house at that time?"
"So where were you and what did you do from the afternoon to the night of the day before yesterday? Is there anyone who can testify?" Xun Shu imitated the way Fang Yan asked Zhao Yuanming yesterday and asked the girl in front of her who was about her age.
Wang Fuwan was still a bit immature, and was dizzy from Xun Shu's sudden string of questions. She answered cautiously, "I was at home the afternoon before yesterday. I didn't go anywhere. My father went out of town to buy goods that day, and my mother was not home either, so there was no one to testify for me."
"Then why did a servant in Zhao's house see you enter the house in the evening?"
Wang Fuwan's lips turned pale. After a moment's hesitation, she suddenly came to her senses and glared at the two people in front of her: "Who are you? Why are you interrogating me like a criminal?"
"Because I suspect you're the murderer." Xun Shu answered directly as usual, then slowly explained the reason. "Mrs. Zhao was murdered in her garden the night before, and you happened to have been to the Zhao residence before the crime. With a motive for murder, isn't that worthy of suspicion?"
Wang Heshun couldn't sit still after hearing this. He stood up with an anxious look on his face. "My two lords, have you made a mistake? Fuwan has been well-behaved and gentle since she was a child. Even if she went to the Zhao residence the day before yesterday, it must have been for the eldest son of the Zhao family. She would never dare to hurt anyone. What's more, Madam Zhao treats Fuwan very well, and Fuwan also likes Madam Zhao very much. Apart from the fact that they are not related by blood, they are like real mother and daughter—" Someone walked into the house from outside. Wang Heshun saw that person as if he had seen a savior, and hurriedly said, "Sumei, please speak quickly. Tell these two lords that Fuwan has nothing to do with Madam Zhao's case!"
Xun Shu followed his gaze towards the gate and saw Su Mei walking in from outside in plain clothes. She looked tired and her eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious that she had not slept all night and must have just returned from Zhao's house.
Wang Heshun stepped forward and told her what had just happened. Su Mei's expression gradually changed from initial bewilderment to surprise and anger. She grabbed Wang Fuwan's arm and asked, "Is what they said true? Why did you go to the Zhao residence at that time? Were you going to look for Yuanming?"
Su Mei was very strong, and Wang Fuwan struggled to break free, mocking her, "Yuanming, Yuanming, you call her so affectionately. You treat Madam Zhao as your close friend, and her son as your own son, but what about her? From the beginning to the end, they have treated you as a lowly maid!" Wang Fuwan's chest rose and fell violently. After calming down for a moment, she spoke again after her breath eased, "Mother, think about it, I am your daughter. When I was young, she often held me in her arms. She liked me. If Madam Zhao really regarded you as a good friend, why didn't she agree to my marriage to Yuanming? Even if our family background is not good, I have been capable since I was a child. If Yuanming marries me, I will definitely be his virtuous wife! Isn't that good?"
Wang Fuwan's eyes flickered with a strange light, filled with anticipation and hope. Su Mei stared at the person before her, as if meeting her for the first time, and murmured, "We've spoiled you, allowing you to harbor such inappropriate thoughts. From today on, you must stay home and don't go out. You can go out again when you're sober!"
Wang Fuwan stood there in a daze, her eyes full of disbelief. Wang Heshun grabbed her shoulders and forcefully led her to the backyard. Wang Fuwan couldn't break free, so she could only shout at the top of her lungs, "I did go to the Zhao residence that day! But I followed my mother! I saw her enter Zhao Lang's yard and then go to the back garden! I followed my mother from a distance, not daring to get too close, but I saw that my mother picked up a stone, knocked Madam Zhao unconscious, and pushed her into the pond! It was my mother who killed Madam Zhao..."
Wang Fuwan's voice faded as she retreated, leaving Xun Shu's ears numb with shock. Passersby on the street heard the commotion inside the shop and peered in to see what was going on. Su Mei stepped forward and closed the door, completely blocking their curious gazes.
She collapsed to the side, resigned to her fate, exhausted, looking ten years older in an instant. She looked at the two people before her and sneered, "If you have anything to ask, just ask me. Fu Wan is still a child, she doesn't know anything."
"She's about my age, how can she still be considered a child? Is she mentally ill?"
Xun Shu blinked her almond-shaped eyes, looking sincere, but to Su Mei, they seemed like sarcasm. He Xuan saw that her expression was not right and quickly said, "She meant that even though your daughter is young, she wouldn't accuse her mother of murder without reason. So, you did go to the back garden that night?"
"Of course not!" Su Mei felt a headache. "I don't know what nonsense that child is talking about. I did lie to you that day, but it was because Fu Wan was still married, and I really didn't want the story between her and Yuan Ming to be known to the whole city." She sighed deeply and stopped hiding. "When I went to the Zhao Mansion that day, not only did I want to apologize to the Madam, but I also wanted to persuade Yuan Ming to break up with Fu Wan. They were not suitable for each other. I never went to the back garden, and it was even more impossible for me to kill the Madam. Fu Wan might have been provoked, so she said that. I hope you two adults will consider her young age and the provocation, and don't take her words seriously."
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